Guest guest Posted September 12, 2004 Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 How British demand feeds slaughter of rare species http://www.guardian.co.uk/conservation/story/0,13369,1302664,00.html Thailand lies at the heart of the world's cruel trade in wild animals. Apes, leopards and monkeys can all be bought to order, while the UK's hunger for ivory is dooming countless elephants. Mark Townsend in Bangkok Sunday September 12, 2004 The Observer Her bullet-riddled body was found last month amid the dense undergrowth of eastern Thailand. Those who stumbled on the blood-soaked carcass described milk still flowing from her breast. The elephant's calf was nowhere to be seen, snatched by her mother's killers along with her valuable tusks. By now the ivory will have found its way to Bangkok, where hundreds of British visitors will have deliberated whether to smuggle it home. It may already be available on the streets of London, home of the UK's flourishing and sophisticated ivory market. In three weeks' time British ministers will arrive in Bangkok for the most crucial talks this year on protecting the planet's wildlife. Yet an Observer investigation reveals the city remains unrivalled as the world's greatest hub for the illegal trade in rare animals. Yet on the eve of the international summit, concern is shifting closer to home. Tens of thousands of Britons and their desire for acquiring anything from snakeskins to tiger pelts to ivory trinkets stand accused of accelerating the slaughter of endangered animals. Their willingness to flout wildlife law has fostered a deep sense of shame among Britain's conservationists. The UK government is also under fire for choosing to remain silent on the scale of Bangkok's trade. Despite receiving a wealth of evidence on the city's role in the smuggling of rare species, ministers have refused publicly to condemn Thailand's failure to quash its slaughter of endangered animals. Some believe Britain should first concentrate on the increasing problems in its own backyard, citing its 'uncontrolled and thriving' ivory market. An investigation for the International Fund for Animal Welfare has identified the UK as the third-biggest source of illegal ivory into the US, one of the world's largest markets. The scale of illegal animal trafficking in Britain is stunning. More than 570 illegal wildlife imports were seized by UK customs officers each day during the most comprehensive analysis of the crisis so far. Environmentalists say the situation is accelerating the fastest extinction of species since the disappearance of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. In Bangkok, evidence suggests it remains as rife as ever. An undercover investigation, yet to be published, by the Dorset-based Monkey World found 38 orang-utans had been smuggled from Thailand into Cambodia over the summer. Jim Cronin estimates up to 600 of Asia's only great ape are being kept illegally in Thailand. 'We are talking about the wholesale decimation of the orang-utan by the Thai government. Where has the UK, and the world, been?' said Cronin. Today among the 10,000 stalls of Bangkok's sprawling Chatuchak weekend market, a major draw for British tourists, The Observer was repeatedly told it would be possible to order orang-utans, snow leopards or rare birds by market traders. Similarly sources told Monkey World they could buy an orang-utan for £4,000 but that prices will fall after the spotlight of Thailand's international talks fades. Some Britons will be unable to wait that long. Few, though, are unlikely to match the audacity of Raymond Humphreys, 45. When customs officers opened his suitcase at Heathrow after a flight from Bangkok two years ago, 23 endangered bird species worth £35,000 were found wedged into tight glass tubes. Six had died en route. Later, on top of Humphreys's Norfolk caravan, police came across a present for his wife - a golden-cheeked gibbon, one of less than 1,000 left. A streak of dried blood clung to the inside of the tusk. Viewed from another angle, though, its polished veneer gleamed without blemish: a reminder of why the world's most valuable bone remains craved by so many Britons. This was the finest-quality raw ivory around, hacked from an Asian elephant, each tusk as long as a man's arm and the weight of a six-month-old baby. Unveiled from the dusty backroom of a Bangkok shop last week, the pair were offered to The Observer for £3,500. They came without paperwork and were perfectly illegal. 'I don't care and you don't care; this is ivory,' beamed the proprietor when told of plans to whisk them back to London for sale. His store stood in the centre of the Thai capital, a short cab ride from the huge Queen Sirikit Convention Centre where 5,000 delegates representing more than 160 countries will shortly convene to discuss around 40 proposals on how to improve protection for the most threatened plants and animals. All those about to arrive will know that not only is the elephant the former symbol of Thailand, but it is that of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) too. Yet the host country continues to fail its former icon. Numbers of wild Thai elephants have fallen to fewer than 3,000. Most countries attending will have assumed the killing to have stopped during the run-up to the talks. The fact that ivory can still openly be bought in downtown Bangkok will embarrass figures such as Britain's Environment Minister, Elliot Morley. Of equal concern are the findings of an Observer investigation that has unearthed a trial of corruption, harassment and even death threats as elements within Thailand resist efforts to suppress the trade before the gaze of the world's media arrives. Even the Thai Prime Minister, it has emerged, has come under fierce pressure from the powerful interests that profiteer from the covert smuggling of endangered creatures. Today Thailand's dark secret has become second only to the country's notorious narcotics rings in terms of value. And it is just as dangerous. At first glance, the silver Mazda seen trundling down a dirt track towards the Laos border seemed like just another lost traveller. On closer inspection, highway police noticed the vehicle was carrying a load so heavy its boot sank low above the rear axle. The reason soon became clear. Inside they found the bloody carcass of a huge Bengal tiger sawn clean in half. At 4pm the driver Leuthai Tiewchareun was arrested, by 6pm he was free on bail. Manop Laohapraser - one of Thailand's senior Cites officials and a man whom Morley would expect to meet next month - is reported to have arrived at the scene. Despite his presence, no DNA of the tiger was taken, while a microchip embedded in the creature's neck was never reported, making the tiger's origins impossible to deduce. Yet Leuthai was well-known to the authorities. Undercover investigators had identified him as a major player in an illegal animal smuggling network codenamed Cobra. Last November when police raided his home, it looked more like a zoo. More than 20 pairs of bear paws lay beside piles of fresh tiger meat. His deep-freeze contained the body of a baby orang-utan from Indonesia. Back then, Leuthai had been arrested, but had again jumped his £3,000 bail. Sources say he will be in Bangkok as Morley and the UK delegation touch down for Cites on 2 October. Manop himself is now suspended over his alleged involvement in the sale of 100 Bengal tigers to a Chinese theme park that some believed were destined for human consumption. In addition, evidence collated by WildAid and sent to the Thai authorities reveals that Cobra has links to a police intelligence officer as well as a powerful Thai family. Documents detail the bribes Leuthai's network would pay to Thai border officials such as £150 for up to 400kg of pangolins, a type of anteater. To date, they provide one of the first insights into the corruption that underpins Bangkok's illegal wildlife network. As profits have grown, so too has the involvement of violent criminals. Even the man appointed to clean up Thailand's illegal trade at the behest of the Prime Minister admits he has been threatened after targeting the biggest players. Major-General Sawake Pinsinchai, head of the Forestry Police, told The Observer: 'There have been several threats in the past. The problem in the past and present is that you are fighting some organisations that are part of a very big network and are very well connected to influential people and politicians.' One prominent conservationist was recently told by a Thai official that he could not even attend Cites. Attempts were even made to discredit Edwin Wiek, who runs the acclaimed Wildlife Rescue Centre in Petchaburi, north of Bangkok. Despite nursing 115 previously sickly and malnourished animals he has been arrested and charged on grounds that have left supporters baffled. Other campaigners have fared far worse. One was recently killed after trying to protect a mangrove swamp from developers. A forestry campaigner was shot dead two weeks ago north of Bangkok. 'I am on the list, by the time you found out how high up you are it's too late', one told The Observer last week in the safety of a guarded hotel. Steven Galster, director of Thailand's WildAid, said: 'People get killed around here for a lot less.' More than 240 wildlife dealers, some with suspected connections to corrupt police and border officials are thought to operate out of Bangkok into neighbouring countries. Leuthai's network covers the whole of south-east Asia and relies on Thailand's 1,800 miles of porous borders. Three hours' drive east from Bangkok lies Cambodia and the region of Pailin, a favoured animal smuggling route. So far this year eight people monitoring the Cambodian side have been killed. Some manage to survive ferocious machete attacks. One man recently required 74 stitches. Such murders are safeguarding a system that involves single shipments into Bangkok worth £6 million. Single cargos of 3,000 pangolins and 600 macaws have been found. Figures passed to the Thai authorities reveal £1.6m of illegal wildlife passed through the city in the six months up to March. 'As a trading centre Bangkok is just phenomenal, yet we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg,' said Lincolnshire-born Tim Redford of WildAid, who admits he kept his 'head down' for years while investigating the trade. The level of seeming co-operation between criminals and officials continues to infuriate the country's fledgling environmental movement. A common complaint involves the practice of raids on suspect smugglers being called off at the last minute after a tip-off. Equally important is the dealers' ability to operate with impunity. Hundreds have been arrested, but all, like Leuthai, remain free. No one has received the maximum four years in jail. Yet those like Sawake believe they are starting to make a difference. In just one month 198,465 animals, including tigers and bears, were seized in 656 separate shipments. Deep within the endless suburbs of Bangkok, Safari World has found little trouble luring thousands of UK tourists over the years. A firm favourite among British families are the orang-utans forced to wear garish costumes as they mimic Thai boxers. This week, however, the zoo will find itself at the centre of a storm of international outrage that threatens to cast a shadow over the country's hosting of Cites. A year ago the Thai embassy in London received strong evidence that the orang-utans had been smuggled illegally from Indonesia. Sawake ordered an investigation. The zoo owners replied that they had bred the animals and although they once had 110 of the prized apes 41 had been cremated after falling ill. Their claims were rejected. Finally, police raided the centre and found the remaining creatures. They had been hidden in another part of the zoo. Eight days ago the zoo's vet was convicted of lying to the police. The Indonesian authorities are demanding the creatures be handed back. However, a letter seen by The Observer from the director general of Thailand's department for national parks suddenly claims that they would be suspending action against the owners of Safari World. For conservationists hoping for a symbolic victory against wildlife traders it was a major blow. For Sawake it beggared belief. 'If I am asked to drop the case then you better ask someone else to take over,' he said yesterday. There are increasing signs the British government, whose attempts on tackling wildlife crime are ranked among the best in the world, may raise the issue with the Thai authorities this month. Though for many of the world's most precious creatures it will be too late. ===== Michelle Desilets BOS UK www.savetheorangutan.org.uk www.savetheorangutan.info " Primates Helping Primates " Please sign our petition to rescue over 100 smuggled orangutans in Thailand: http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/822035733 _________ALL-NEW Messenger - all new features - even more fun! http://uk.messenger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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